SCOSummit: Leaders expected to attend the virtual summit include Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The virtual SCO summit is being held against the backdrop of India’s strained relations with China and PakistanNEW DELHI:
Iran will be welcomed as the newest member of the Eurasian grouping at the virtual Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit, which India will host on Tuesday. The summit is anticipated to focus on regional security, economic integration, and trade.
The leaders expected to attend the virtual summit are Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Chinese President Xi Jinping. It will be Putin's first participation in a global gathering since the Wagner mercenary group's short uprising on June 24 in Russia.
India, along with Pakistan, joined the SCO as full members in 2017. This year marks the first time India has served as the organization's chair. During the conference on Tuesday, Belarus will also sign a memorandum of responsibilities to join as a member state, in addition to Iran becoming a full member.
In light of India's tense ties with China and Pakistan, the SCO summit is taking place. As relations between New Delhi and Islamabad have been strained by the terrorist issue, there has been a military stalemate between India and China on the Line of Actual Control for the past three years.
According to persons with direct knowledge of the situation who declined to be identified, the virtual summit is anticipated to cover the security situation in Afghanistan, the Ukraine issue, and strengthening collaboration between SCO states, particularly means to improve economic connection and trade. In this regard, India has recently made a number of efforts to improve connectivity and commerce with central Asian republics.
"SECURE" stands for security, economic growth, connectivity, unity, respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, and environmental preservation. This is the theme during India's SCO presidency. India has advocated for more de-radicalization strategy collaboration as part of the emphasis on regional security.
In addition, India established five SCO focal points and pillars for cooperation: start-ups and innovation, digital inclusion, youth empowerment, traditional medicine, and shared Buddhist heritage. The people stated that the joint declaration and other documents that will be released at the conclusion of the summit are expected to include new initiatives in these fields.
Six multilateral organizations and two SCO bodies, the secretariat and Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS), will also send representatives to the summit. The United Nations, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the Collective Security Treaty Organization, and the Eurasian Economic Union are some of these organizations.
India, China, Russia, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan are all members of the SCO, which was founded in 2001. In 2005, India joined the organization as an observer.
The meeting was held remotely, according to Sameer Patil, a security specialist based in Mumbai, because it was unable to guarantee the presence of the presidents of China and Russia in person
"The G20 summit is the bigger objective, and India doesn't want anything to make convening that meeting more difficult. One cannot overlook the bigger context, which includes Russia's ongoing issues with the West over the Ukraine crisis and India's conflict with China, even though the SCO would continue to focus on connectivity and trade, he said. "This broader context will be taken into account for whatever cooperation is agreed upon."
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